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Annual animals in art exhibition on hiatus

The 30-year-old International Exhibition on Animals in Art is on hiatus amid staff changes and renovations at Louisiana State University’s School of Veterinary Medicine.

"Ghostly Gazers" by Tanya F. Dischler appeared on the cover of the June 1, 1996, issue of JAVMA.

The animals in art competition, which started in 1987, has been canceled for 2017 and, likely, 2018, although administrators hope to bring it back in 2019, according to Ginger Guttner, a spokeswoman for the college. The juried show is coordinated by the veterinary school in collaboration with the School of Art, and the veterinary school receives a 20 percent commission on art sold through the show.

Guttner said the college skipped the 2017 exhibition because it would have conflicted with the search for a new director of the veterinary teaching hospital. The veterinary library, where the exhibition has been hosted, is undergoing major renovations over several months, starting this summer, and that is expected to prohibit the show’s return in 2018, she said.

For a 2019 return, the veterinary school would call for entries in fall 2018. Past shows have run about one month, starting each March.

The 2016 exhibition—which also followed a one-year break—included 74 works chosen out of 381 entries submitted by artists in the U.S., Canada, and Israel. Eight works were honored with awards and 10 with honorable mentions; the winner of the JAVMA Award was shown on the cover of the June 1, 2016, issue.

Dr. Kurt J. Matushek, AVMA editor-in-chief, selects winners of the JAVMA Award. His predecessor, Dr. Janis H. Audin, began featuring one piece of artwork from each year’s show on the cover of JAVMA in 1996.